John w



-- (No Model.)

J. W. DOTSON.

CABLE RAILROAD.

Patented Aug. 15, 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. DOTSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO RICHARD J. CLARK, OF SAME PLACE.

CABLE RAILROAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 503,366, dated August 15, 1893.

Application filed April 5,1893- Serial No. 469,085. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN W. Dotson, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cable-Car Railroads; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in cable railroads for street cars.

The object of the invention is to provide means by which to lessen the danger and liability of injury to persons, and of damage to property now incident to the passage of cable cars through the overcrowded streets of cities and towns.

With this object in view, the invention con sists in the combination with the grip slot of the roadway, of short slots or openings connecting therewith, and which are provided with switch bars which are adapted to be moved across the main slot by means attached to the cars, and to switch or turn the grip from the main slot, or conduit into the short slot and side conduit, for the purpose of breaking the grip, and thus to make it possible to stop the cars whenthe cable orrope is stranded, and the strand is wound about the grip so that it cannot be disconnected therefrom by the usual means, the invention being fully described in the following specifications and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the roadway and of the grip switch arranged therein,the position being its normal or closed one, and in which the open position is shown by the dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a grip car with a bar attached thereto by means of which the switch is adapted to be opened. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of a cableroadway and of the switch taken on the line 3. 3. of Fig. 1. Fig. at is a detached plan view of the switch supporting casting. Fig. 5 is a 1ongitudinal section taken on the line 5. 5. of Fig. 4.. Fig. 6 is a detached top view of the switch bar and a portion of the supporting casting showing the arrangement of the switch bar spring. Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line 7. 7. of Fig. 6, and Fig. 8 is a section on the line X. X. of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings 1, designates the grip slot, 2 the roadway and conduit castings, which together with the slot rails and track rails form the roadway, the construction being that in general use for cable roads.

3 is the grip which is also of the ordinary kind.

4: is a cast or metal plate adapted to support the switch bar and to be solidly secured to the conduit castings or road way. Said plate is provided with a short grip slot or opening 5, one end of which connects with the main grip slot and extends therefrom into the roadbed at a suitable angle or curve for switching the grip from the main slot into said short slot or opening, and which terminates in the roadway.

6 is a switch bar, one end of which is pivotally attached to the said metal plate by means of the stud bolt 7, and the other end of which extends out and tapers therefrom to a point. One side of said pointed switch bar when in its normal position is adapted to form the side of the main grip slot-the slot rail being cut away for the purpose-wand the other side of said switch bar is adapted to form a portion of one side of the switch slot when said bar is turned to a position for switching the grip therein. Said switch bar is held in its normal position across the entrance to the switch slot by the spring 8, one end of which is solidly attached to the said bar, and the other end of which abuts or rests against a shoulder formed upon said metal plate.

9 is a cam-lever, pivoted to turn upon a stud pin 10, solidly inserted in said metal plate, a depression being formed therein, which is covered over with a boiler plate covering 11 screwed thereto, and which forms a chamber or opening 12 in said metal plate, adapted for the insertion and movement, or vibration of said cam-lever. The cam-end of said lever rests against one side of the switch bar, and the other end of said cam-lever, when the switch is closed, stands across the longitudinal channel or groove 13, formed in said metal plate, as shown bydotted lines Fig. 1.. Said cam lever is adapted to be moved by means of a bar 14, attached to the grip car, and which is operated by the gripman. Said bar is dropped into said longitudinal channel or groove, and strikes against the outer end of said cam -le ver, forcing the cam end against the switch pushingit back to its first position, and the grip is then broken in said switch'slot,by-ther running or pulling strain upon the cable at.-v

bar, and thereby moving the point of said bar across the main grip slot, shown alsoby dotted lines in Fig. l, the outer'end of the cam lever being turned around by the operation sufficient to allow the passage of the bar through said longitudinal channehandas said bar is located upon the carsomedistance in front of the grip, the operation is performed be! fore the grip reaches the switch slot, and as the pitch-ofithe cam is so small that it cannot move or turn back of itself, the switch bar .will' thus be held firmly across themain grip slot until the grip enters the switch slot and" reverses the movement of the cam-lever by.

tached thereto, and the momentum of the cars, and when this is accomplished, the cars: 5 may be stopped by the applicationiof the;

brakes, and in the usual manner.

The operation as described will be clearlyv understood from an inspection of thetdrawings.

It will be observed, that thelongitudinall groove or channel in the supporting; metal.

switch plate, and whichlis adapted toguide.

the end of the-operating bar, attached tothe car, so that it will strike against the end ofa cam-lever, is widened at the front to insure the entrance of said bar. thereto, and gets 4. deeper as it approaches the lever, so that the, operating bar is dropped gradually down-anv inclined plane, and that after it has passed the cam-lever, it is again lifted up an inclined plane until it is brought to the top of the roadway, and also that the switchuslottis curved outward, so that the gripbars may be broken laterally across and in the weakest direction.

The invention is of very greatimportance,

in the practical operation of 'a cable road, as

the stranding of a cable is of very frequent occurrence in our large cities, and a broken strand invariably wraps itself around, or about the grip, so that the cars cannot be detached therefrom except by stopping the cable, and before this can be done very great and serious injury to persons, and damage to property may take place, as is frequently the case, whereas, by a series of properly located switch slots, as herein provided for, the.dan-. ger from accidents of thiskind may be largely averted if not wholly removed.

In'the lever arrangement attached to'the car for the purpose of moving the operating bar, I have shown onepractical mode of carrying out my invention, but I claim the right to use such modification thereof as .may be vfound most advantageous, and there-are modifications in the details, and arrangements of other parts which will readily suggest them selves, such as securing or looking the switch bar in its'normal or closed position by other {means-than a spring, and in moving the switch bar by hand from the ground, and by other devices than that of a cam-lever, but which donotdepart from the spirit of my invention, and I do not therefore desire to limit myself to the exact construction, and arrangetheswitch bar 6,=-movably attached to said metal plate, and means adapted to .movesaid switch barupon said plate and. across said grip slot,-.substantially as and for the'purpose specified.

the gripislotrl, in said vroadway, theswitch barfi, pivotally attached. tosaid .metal plate and adapted to be moved thereonand across :said "gripslot, and means adapted tohold said 7 switch bar in its normal or closed position,

and said. switch baradapted toaform aside 2.. The combination inacable roadwayof the metal plate 4, provided with. the switch slot or. bpeningdsaid switch'slot communicatingwith portion'of said gripslot, substantiall'yas and 1 for the purpose specified. 3. Ina cable roadway the combination of the metalplate 4, solidlylsupportedtherein, said metal plate provided with the switch slot 5, and alsoprovided withthe chamber oropening.12 and'channell3, said switchslot com.-

inunicat-ingwith thegripslot :1 in said roadway, andtsaid channel adapted for/the passage of thebar '14 attached to a cable gripcar .on said .roadway, said bar vertically'adjvust able on said car, the cam lever 9, pivotallyattached to said metalplate in said-chamber and. adapted to be moved therein by said bar 14, and the switch'bar"6, movably-attached to said metal plate and adapted tobe moved thereon bymeans of said cam lever, substans tially as and for the purpose specified."

' 4. In a cableroadway or railroad theconi-v bination comprising thevgripslot 1, adapted for the passage of a cable grip 3, the metal plate 4, solidly attached ltolsaid roadway or conduit castings 2 in said roadway, and pro-- vided with a switch slot or opening 5, com-.

.municatingor connectingwith said grip slot, and said metal plate also provided with the chamber .or opening 12 andi the longitudinal channell3,lthe-switch bar. 6, pivotally at tached to said metal plate by means of the stud bolt 7, and provided with the springbar 8, adapted to hold said switch bar in its nor mal or closed position and to return it to said switched into the said switch slot, substanposition, the cam lever 9, pivotally attached tially as and for the purpose specified. m to said metal plate by the stud bolt 10, and In testimony whereof Iaffix mysignature in adapted to be turned in a direction to force presence of two Witnesses.

5 said switch bar across said grip slot, by the JOHN XV. DOTSON.

bar 14 attached to the front end of a grip car, Witnesses: and to be turned in a reverse direction by the CYRUS A. HULL,

cable grip of said car, when said grip is J. CHARLES MOORE. 

